My impression is that the legal ethics dialogue is highly developed in the United States. The extent to which people practice what is preached over there is something I have heard word about but can't guess at too accurately. Maybe its lawyers are more prone to extreme badness and so the discussion has [...]

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The Age's Julie Szego has written a substantial article in The Age about barristers and pro bono in Victoria. It arises out of Fiona McLeod SC volunteering her time to represent the Blue Wedges coalition which is opposing the Port of Melbourne's channel deepening project. The Victorian Bar's pro bono scheme, administered by [...]

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I had heard the rumour a fair while ago from the most impeccable sources in VCAT and the Supreme Court that the Supreme Court's Justice Bell was hot tip to take over from Judge Bowman as VCAT's head. Now it's confirmed. Frankly, though it would not be every lawyer's cup of tea, it's [...]

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Stocovaz v Fung [2007] NSWCA 199 is a rare thing: a superior court decision about motor vehicle property damage litigation, more commonly known as 'crash 'n' bash'. The New South Wales Court of Appeal said that the plaintiff is entitled to the amount actually paid for repairs unless the defendant can establish that it [...]

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The other day, I did a very geeky thing which was also a bit unonline. I had a coffee with fellow lawyer blogger, the mysterious Legal Eagle. One result of the coffee was that somehow I charmed her into writing a second case note of interest to readers of this blog — this [...]

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I am always astounded how many professionals make public comments about their clients. I cannot really understand why society allows lawyers to publish their memoirs. I read John Marsden's memoirs, and was not impressed by his comments about Ivan Milat. If I remember correctly, they suggested, or rekindled the suggestion in [...]

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On Australia Day, I watched the 2002 film 'Black and White', about the Max Stuart case. I had picked up historian Ken Inglis's book on the case at a church fete the other month, thinking it was the kind of thing a young barrister should have in his chambers, and flicked through it at [...]

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In Chen v Chan [2008] VSCA 2, President Maxwell and Justice of Appeal Redlich dismissed an application by the appellant for an order enjoining the respondent's solicitor and counsel from acting in the appeal. The applicant alleged that there had been wrongdoing by the respondent's lawyers at the trial. In fact that was [...]

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I had a little debate with the Supreme Court not so long ago about whether my client's bare denial defence was appropriate. A bank had pleaded that my client had mortgaged his house to it. My client simply denied the allegation. I said by way of a place to start the discussion [...]

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